Robin's Diary

Does the punishment fit the crime?

This might provoke some response, and it will make interesting reading, but an incident on the M606 this week got me thinking…

A 15 year old was driving a van the wrong way up the motorway and crashed head-on into a taxi, resulting in three innocent people being killed. One of those was a passenger in the van, which is believed to have been stolen, and failed to stop for the Police. The driver of the van and the other passenger were taken to hospital where the driver was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He remains in hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

So my question is…  Are we too lenient on these types of offences? No driving licence, stolen vehicle, underage driver?

Apart from the appalling deaths of innocent people, what about the knock-on effect this accident and others like it have on the Emergency Services?  Including the NHS – taking the beds of those awaiting important procedures? Adding to the NHS Waiting lists?

It’s a difficult one, as simply locking them up and throwing away the key is unlikely to happen, especially when the perpetrator is young.  Just like the problems in the US with gun crime, real car crime, not someone doing 34mph in a 30, but serious and blatant law-breaking, doesn’t seem to have a deterrent to match the crime, as it certainly doesn’t seem to have the desired effect.

The legal system seems to be in a mess and the vast majority of us never come into contact with it, but those who do, don’t seem to worry too much about it. Surely something has to change - unless the European Court of Human rights only works for those who break the rules, and doesn’t protect the human rights of the majority??    

“In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences.” Robert Green Ingersoll